the goan I network
PANAJI
In a bid to put to rest the formalin-in-fish imbroglio which resurfaced last weekend when a Congress team conducted spot tests in Margao, the State government on Monday declared fish in Goan markets safe after a series of tests throughout the day in Margao and Panaji, conducted by a team of experts from the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Food and Drugs Administration.
The team on Monday conducted tests at the Margao and Panjim fish markets since 5.30 am, using the kit developed by CIFT, to determine whether added formaldehyde was present in fish.
The team of three scientists, all of who hold PhD degrees, declared that there is no added formaldehyde found in the 10 samples that were picked randomly at the fish markets.
“We could not find samples containing formaldehyde,” said Dr S J Lali addressing the media on Monday in the presence of Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, in Panaji.
“After conducting the tests at the market, we took the samples to the FDA lab, where once again the fish tested negative for the presence of added formaldehyde,” she said, adding that fish sold in Goan fish markets was “absolutely safe.”
Dr Lali, from the CIFT, was also part of the team that developed the testing kits that the FDA has been using to test for the presence of added formaldehyde in fish.
She later, in the presence of mediapersons, carried out a test on a kingfish. The results were negative, proving that there was no formaldehyde present on the kingfish.
However, Dr Lali pointed out that though the testing kit was available to the public (Rs 240 for 25 tests in one box), it was only a scientist who would be able to analyse the results of the test. “Sometimes, even if you’ve touched water before doing the test, the test might prove positive, leading one to believe that formaldehyde is present,” she said, adding that the person carrying out the test had to know exactly what they were doing. Dr Bhaskar N, scientific advisor to the FSSAI stressed that all the tests conducted at the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) lab were according to international standards and that there was no way that their tests were faulty.
“There may be one or two percent miscreants trying to say otherwise,” said Dr Bhaskar. “But the fact remains that the fish that Goans are eating - be it local or imported - is safe,” he said.
Another scientist from the FSSAI, Dr Ashok, pointed out that the Schiff’s Reagent test - the test that was conducted initially on July 12 due to which the controversy erupted - was not suitable as an indicative test for the presence of formalin in fish.
“The Schiff’s Reagent test one that shows the presence of any aldehyde. It was not a suitable test to test for the presence of formalin and cannot by law be used to prosecute” he maintained. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, and Secretary of Health J Ashok Kumar, said that an ongoing administrative enquiry will reveal what went wrong on July 12, after which Goans are under fear and anxiety over whether the fish they buy from the markets is safe or not.
When asked about the use of the term “permissible limit” for formaldehyde that appeared on the FDA report after the lab test was conducted on July 12, Dr Bhaskar, while saying that the use of the term was wrong, said, “Maybe it was a phrase that was lost in translation. Added formaldehyde is barred in all or any food items.” He added that as for the formaldehyde that was naturally present in fish, the FSSAI still had to determine the limit that was acceptable, although he maintained that a small amount was naturally present. However, the naturally present formaldehyde would never make the results of a test for added formaldehyde turn out positive. The team also maintained that there is no proof of formaldehyde being carcinogenic when ingested.
